Receptacle capping machine



y 7, 1953 c. A. SPALDING 2,644,415

RECEPTACLE CAPPING MACHINE Filed June 22. 1949 3 Sheets-She et 1 WITNESSES INVENTOR:

Clare/7004 ya/077g 8 ATTORNEYS.

7, 1953 c. A. SPALDING RECEPTACLE CAPPING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 22. 1949 FIG: 4.

INVliNTOR; 670N711? A W TNESSES 9 W21 n a w Patented July 7, 1 953 UNITED STATES, PAT ENT OFFICE RECEPTACLECAPPING MACHINE Clarence A. Spalding, Elkins Park, Pa., assignmto C. A. Spalding, Herbert Drosdat, Joseph Graft, and William Huebner, copartners trading as C. A. Spalding 00., Philadelphia, Pa.

-- Application June 22, 1949,-Serial No. 100,618

3Claims. (o1; 113-18) This invention relates to receptacle capping machines. More specifically, it is concerned with capping machines of a type designed for permanently securing laterally fianged closure caps within top openings of receptacles such astin cans or the like by swaging.

In connection with a capping machine of the kind particularly referred to, I aim to make pos sible the incorporation of the closures without incident imposition of pressure strains such as would be likely to result either in their deformation or breakage of the receptacles.

A further aim of my invention is to attain the above advantages in a capping machine which is simple in construction as well as reliable in operation; and by which the capping is accomplished with assurance of fluid tight sealing in the swaged joint notwithstanding the existence of slight dimensional variations in the receptacles.

' Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the followingdetailed description of the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a View, in front elevation, of a capping machine conveniently embodying my invention. 7

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the machine taken as indicated by the angled arrows IIII in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in horizontal section taken as indicated by the angled arrows IIIIII in Fig. 1. j

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view on a larger scale corresponding to Fig. 2 and showing how the swaging of a receptacle cap is accomplished by my improved machine.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a collet which forms a part of the swaging means of thema chine.

As herein delineated, my improved capping machine comprises a base Ill with a standard ll rising therefrom at the rear. Mounted upon the horizontal top surface of the base I0 and rigidly secured thereto, as by welding, is a guide annulus [2 for a plate [3 which is adapted to serve as a support for the receptacle R to be capped, and to the top surface .of which a gauge plate I4 is affixed by means of screws l5. From Fig. 3 it will be noted that the gauge plate l4 hasthe configuration of a horse-shoe with the arcuate bight thereof approached from the front of the machine through a flared entry at l6. Thus, as the receptacle R is placed in the machine, it is definitely directed by the gauge plate Hi to central position on the support l3, which as shownis yieldingly sustained by a group of helical springs ll confined to 'concentrically-arranged sockets H! in the base l0. Extending axially downward from the support I3 is a slidable stem l9 which passes through a bore 20 in the base l0, and has a terminal head [9a to cooperate with the shoulder of the enlargement 20a of said bore in the bottom of the base It in limiting the upward movement of saidsupport l3 under the influence of the springs $1. Rotation of the support I3 is prevented through :engagement of vertical notches 2| in the pendant annular flange 1 3a thereof with the heads of a pair of diametrallyarranged radial screws 22 onthe annulus l 2 The receptacle R herein shown for convenience of exemplification, is in the form of acan with a cylindric body having a neck N above a sloped shoulder, said neck in turn having a sloped top with-a central opening which is edged by an outwardly-rolled circumferential bead B. Theolosure cap C which is to be secured withinthe top opening of the can is blanked to the cross sectional. configuration shown in Fig. 2, i. e., cupped and formed with a cross sectionally curved lateral peripheral flange F to engage downward over the bead B of the can R, and further characterized by having an upward axial spout S Secured to the standard I I at an elevation above the base l0 by screws 24 is a forwardly reaching bracket 25 which, like the gauge plate l4 on the support l3 has a frontally-open bight 2501, the latter being made somewhat narrower however forthe reception of the neck N of the can R, as best seen in Fig. 1, and being internally .bevelled at the bottom as at 251) in correspondence ,with the slope of the shoulder of the can R. For a purpose later on explained, the bight 25a of the bracket 25is enlarged at the top for the provision of a stopshoulder 25c.

Incorporation of the closure cap C with the can R is accomplished, according to my invention, by means of a swaging head 26 which is :carried at the end of a vertically arranged shaft 27 suitably guided for up and down movement in the axisof the support and of the canplaced thereon, by a guide arm (not illustrated) on the standard I I above the stop bracket 25. The shaft 21 is adapted to be moved endwise by appropriate actuating-means (not illustrated), its bottom end portion being hollow to clear the spout S of the cap!) and exteriorly tapered as at 21a. Slidable 0n the shaft 2'! is a sleeve 29 with. a nut enlargement 30,at the lower end thereof, independent movement of said sleeve 29 in one. di; :rection being limited by engagement of the shouldered upper end thereof with a circumferential stop flange 21b onsaid shaft. The bore of the nut enlargement 30 is diametrically reduced-at the-bottom to provide an internal rest shoulder 3 27 within the sleeve 23, is a slide collar 32 which is internally coned at the bottom to engage the correspondingly beveled top of a radially expandable collet 33 composed of a plurality of segments 33a as best shown in Fig. 5. The diametrically reduced neck of the collet 33 extends down through the narrowed bore portion of the nut 30 (Figs. 2 and 4) with the flange over-hangs of the beveled top portions of the segments 33a seating on the spacing washer 3|. A helical spring 35 surrounding the shaft 21 within the sleeve 29 and in compression between the flange 27b of said shaft and the collar 32, serves to normally maintain the parts of the swaging head in the relative positions in which they are illustrated in Fig. 2 with thecollet 33 collapsed and its lower reduced end protruding beyond the nut 30. It is to be noted that the neck portion of the collet 33 is circumferentially grooved concavely at 33b somewhat above a convexly rounded peripheral swaging flange 330 at the bottom.

Operation Upon application of the cap C to the can R, with interposition of a compressible gasket G between its rounded flange F and the bead B around the top opening in the receptacle, the assemblage is placed on the support I3 of the machine as shown in Fig. 1. With this preparation, the swaging head 26 is lowered, and as it descends, the bottom convexly rounded end of thecollet 33 will engage eventually within the annular recess of the closure C incident to which the receptacle R will recede downwardly slightly under the yielding action of its spring- .cushioned support I3, with attendant compression of the gasket G for ultimate assurance of a fluid tight seal as the closure is permanently secured in a manner presently set forth. At about the same time the sleeve 29 will be arrested by encounter of its nut enlargement 30 with the shoulder 250 of the stop bracket 25 as in Fig. 2 while the shaft 27 continues somewhat in its descent alone. By incidental camming action during the final stage of the operation between the tapered lower end 2Ia of the shaft 27 and the coned interior of the swaging collet 33, the latter is radially expanded as in Fig. 4. As a consequence, the metal of the closure C is swaged outwardly by the rounded bottom end 33c .of the collet 33, while the curled flange F about the top of the cap C is restrained within a conformative space jointly formed by the annular concavely curved recessions 30b and 33b respectively at the bottom'of the nut 30 of the sleeve 29 and on the said collet. With the cap C now securely clinched to the can neck, the shaft 27 is lifted for withdrawal of the swaging head 26. At the initiation of this retractive movement, the sleeve 29 will remain stationary until the circumferential flange 27b on the shaft contacts therewith at the top to carry it along. In the meantime, upon rise of the tapered bottom end 27a of the shaft 27 within the coned hollow of the collet 33, the latter will collapse to its normal condition. This collapse is effected by camming action between the coned interior of the slidecollar 32 and the beveled top of the collet 33 as the spring 35 exerts its force upon said collar. Upon complete elevation of the swaging head 26 to the normal position in which it is shown in Fig. 1, the now incorporated cap C is cleared to permit removal of the finished receptacle from the machine.

- From the foregoing it will be seen all the heavy strains incurred during the actual swaging are transmitted to the stop bracket 25 rather than to the can R which is thereby protected against being deformed or otherwise injured by the action of the machine. It will be further seen that slight variations in the height of the receptacles will be compensated for by reason of the yielding action of the support I3 on which the cans R. are placed in the machine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A swaging device for securing outwardly flanged cup section closure caps of sheet material set into openings in the tops of receptacles, said device comprising a shaft having a tapered end and a collar spaced from said end; a slide sleeve surrounding the end portion of the shaft and having internal circumferential shoulders respectively at the top and bottom ends thereof; a radially-divided multi-segment collet within the sleeve having a beveled top circumferential flange at its upper end engaging over the internal bottom shoulder of the sleeve and a diametrically reduced downward extension with a rounded circumferential flange at its lower end protruding from the sleeve, said collet being internally tapered for camming action with the taper of the shaft; a slide collar within the sleeve internally coned at the bottom for camming action with the beveled top of the collet; and a spiral spring surrounding the shaft within the sleeve with its upper end bearing against the collar of the shaft and with its lower end bearing against the top of the slide collar to normally maintain the collet collapsed, whereby, upon arrest of the sleeve by contact with the flange of the closure cap as the device is pressed axially upon the receptacle from above and upon somewhat further independent downward movement of the shaft thereafter, the segments of the collet are moved radially about the lower internal shoulder of the sleeve as a fulcrum by action of the taper of the shaft and their lower ends forced outward within the hollow of the closure cap to swage the latter about the edge of the opening in the top of the receptacle.

2. A swaging device, according to claim 1, for securing outwardly-flanged cup section closure caps into upwardly and outwardly rolled beads around apertures in the tops of sheet metal receptacles, wherein the sleeve is provided at the bottom with a round section annular groove for pressing the flanges of the closure caps over and about the beads around the openings in the tops of the receptacles.

3. A swaging device, according to claim 1, for securing outwardly-flanged cup section closure caps with upstand spout projections into openings in the tops of receptacles, wherein the shaft is axially hollow at the bottom for clearance of the spouts of the closure caps during the swaging.

CLARENCE A. SPALDING.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 711,204 Gay Oct. 14, 1902 808,556 Lindsay Dec. 26, 1905 1,585,820 Baum May 25, 1926 1,979,793 Chalmers Nov. 6, 1934 2,017,766 Mullen Oct. 15, 1935 2,085,879 Trump July 6, 1937 2,167,654 Hothersall Aug. 1, 1939 2,170,821 Hothersall Aug. 29, 1939 

